I talked to Julio Borbon last week about playing center field and leading off (we'll save base running for later). Here's what he had to say:

Q: Talk about playing center field and what you’re working on.

A: I’ve been playing center field just about my whole life, so it’s really not that much of an adjustment. I’ve just focused on going out there and working on the little things and improving. I’m working on getting better and better reads on balls and that’s something I’ve seen improve since I joined the Rangers. It’s something I can say is 100 percent better and it’s something that will continue to improve as long as I keep doing the same things and keep working at it. I’m taking fly balls off the bat and that’s what’s going to help. You see so many hitters that have different bat paths and you get to see how the ball comes of their bats, so that’s how you can get better. You can just chat during practice. When you go out there with a purpose, you’re going to get a lot out of it.

Q: How was winter ball and did you see a bunch of fly balls there?

A: I played for five weeks and all I did pregame was catch fly balls. I was worn out before the games started, but we had a long enough break before we went out and played that I was able to recover, so I could afford that. I knew I was going to be playing just for a little bit, so it wasn’t anything that I knew was going to hurt me in the long run. So I was able to do that and get a lot out of it. I saw things improve in games and that was gratifying to see that pay off. It’s just a matter of continuing to do that in spring training.

Q: Anything in particular you’ve done in relation to arm strength?

A: The arm has always been there. I have the arm strength. What I’ve always needed to do was get my mechanics right, which were pretty inconsistent when I got here. It’s going to continue to get better. Just from last year to now, I’ve tweaked some things and I’ve already seen some improvement. I know there’s enough arm strength for me to play there.

Q: How about hitting leadoff? You looking forward to it?

A: It’s another thing I’ve done throughout my career in college and coming up through the minors. The only time I didn’t hit leadoff, I think, was when I was in the 2-hole in Double-A with Elvis [Andrus]. It’s a familiar spot for me. I’ll continue to work counts and help my teammates and at the beginning of the game, trying to get as much work out of the pitcher as I can. Once the game starts, you don’t know who might lead off the next inning. Your role starts from the beginning of the game and do the small things, get on base, get bunts down, gets runners over and make things happen that way.